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Issue Date: August 15, 2024
Letter of Intent (required): Due September 25, 2024
Full Proposals (by invitation based on LOI): Due December 2, 2024
Award Amounts: Up to $100,000 (direct costs)
Duration: 12 months
Anticipated Funding Start Date: May 1, 2025

OBJECTIVE

HOPE & CAIRHE 2gether (HC2), funded by the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Control Research in Persistent Poverty Areas Initiative, is a cross-institutional center for cancer prevention research. The long-term goal of HC2 is to increase the reach of evidence-based cancer prevention and control interventions in areas and populations characterized by persistent poverty. HC2 brings together the expertise, infrastructure, partnerships, and resources of the Center for Health Outcomes and Population Equity (HOPE), the Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI), and the University of Utah (U of U), with the Center for American Indian and Rural Health Equity (CAIRHE) and Montana State University (MSU).

These projects will result in a community of new and established researchers poised to secure independent funding to significantly impact cancer-related health inequities in PP areas across the Mountain West and beyond.

Successful projects will broadly focus on cancer prevention and control in persistent poverty (PP) census tract areas. Although applications in all areas of cancer prevention and control research will be considered, special attention will be given to applications that address the structural and institutional factors impacting persistent poverty and projects addressing rural and frontier areas characterized by persistent poverty.

Examples of successful projects may include but are not limited to:

  • Identifying pathways by which the effects of place on health can be elucidated, such as the interactions of neighborhoods and people, health care or public health systems, and their social and physical environments;
  • Characterizing differentials in income and wealth accumulation for subpopulations (e.g., the elderly, racial and ethnic minorities, immigrants) and identifying the sources of these differentials and their impacts on cancer health status;
  • Designing and implementing community-based participatory prevention strategies to promote aggregate-level health by changing social, structural, institutional, and community environments (e.g., tobacco-free policies, including promotion of respectful use of tobacco for American Indian and Alaska Native populations);
  • Conducting intervention research focusing on the prevention of cancer that incorporates risk and resilience factors such as historical trauma, immigration policies, healthcare access, discrimination, structural racism, housing, and criminal justice practices;
  • Identifying and characterizing the environmental toxicity factors that interact with chronic stress and genetic susceptibility/risk factors for cancer and factors that contribute to variation in the prevalence and incidence of cancer;
  • Issues related to cancer survivorship (e.g., mental health, social support, caregiving);
  • Improving cancer screening rates and guidelines;
  • Health behaviors linked to cancer, such as sexual risk-taking, alcohol/tobacco use, diet/exercise, and sun exposure;
  • Development of interventions for primary, secondary, or tertiary cancer prevention;
  • Basic science projects relevant to cancer detection, prevention, or control.

Important: To ensure that the unique social contexts and historical and contemporary injustices are accounted for and addressed in the research, this RFA allows only within-group comparisons in the study's primary aims. For example, applicants can compare one persistent poverty census tract to another, but applicants may not compare a persistent poverty census tract to a census tract lacking that designation.

Projects will be 1 year in duration with total budgets up to $100,000 in direct costs. We encourage applications of various sizes (e.g., $25K, $50K, up to $100K). Investigators should calculate and include additional Facilities and Administrative (F&A) costs (indirect costs) using their university’s standard rate as negotiated with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Applicants will be allowed to apply for additional pilot awards in future cycles after they have completed their current pilot award from HC2. Individuals who submitted proposals to the previous pilot cycle are encouraged to resubmit a revised proposal that addresses the reviewers’ feedback on the original proposal.

KEY TERMS FOR THIS RFA

Persistent Poverty: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Services (ERS) has defined persistent poverty at the county level. According to ERS, counties are designated as being persistently poor if 20% or more of their populations were living in poverty based on 1980, 1990, and 2000 decennial censuses and 2007-11 American Community Survey 5-year estimates (https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/rural-economy-population/rural-poverty-well-being/).

Definition of Persistent Poverty Census Tracts: NCI recognizes that there are smaller areas, such as census tracts, that experiencepersistent poverty. The U.S. Census defines census tracts as small, relatively permanent statistical subdivisions of a county or equivalententity (https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/geography/about/glossary.html#par_textimage_13). NCI, in working with ERS of the USDA, is defining persistent poverty at thecensus tract level for the purposes of this initiative. A designation of persistent poverty applies when 20% or more of the population in a census tract is below thefederal poverty line based on 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses and 2007-11 and 2015-2019 American Community Survey 5-yearestimates. A list of the census tracts in persistent poverty is provided on the NCI Geographically Underserved Areas website (https://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/sites/default/files/2021-12/PP%20CT%20data-final.pdf).By adopting a definition that includes a much smaller geographical area at the census tract level (compared to county level), there is broaderrepresentation across all the states and Puerto Rico to include communities in extreme poverty. Hence, for this funding announcement,persistent poverty is defined at the census tract level. All proposed research studies are required to identify persistent poverty census tractsfrom the provided list (https://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/sites/default/files/2021-12/PP%20CT%20data-final.pdf).

HOW WE CAN HELP

Applicants of selected LOIs are required to work with the HC2 leadership as they develop their full applications. Additionally, projects involving tribal communities must consult with the HC2 Community Engagement Team before submitting a full application.

HC2 will host a one-time informational webinar on August 29, 2024, 1:00-2:00 pm MST that is open to all parties interested in applying. This webinar will be recorded and available for dissemination to anyone who is unable to attend. Below is the link and access code for the one-time informational webinar:

https://utah.zoom.us/j/94907769941?pwd=Z7af1jTbYFm7F8XMTFW8QUazB4abpK.1

Meeting ID: 949 0776 9941
Passcode: HC2

If you are uncertain if your proposal fits the terms of the RFA, please contact Dr. Cho Lam (cho.lam@hci.utah.edu) for more information.

ELIGIBILITY FOR THE AWARD

  • Projects must demonstrate alignment with the HC2 foci (i.e., cancer prevention and control).
  • Projects must work with populations living in persistent poverty census tracts.
  • Applicants must be investigators at the University of Utah or Montana State University. Applicants from other institutions and community partners, such as community health centers, primary care associations, and Tribal College and Extension faculty, are also eligible to apply in collaboration with a primary researcher applicant at U of U or MSU.
  • Early-Stage Investigators (ESI) are highly encouraged to apply. HC2 is focused on helping ESI and will facilitate a collaboration with senior faculty who can help guide the project. ESI are identified per the definition provided by the NIH (see https://grants.nih.gov/policy/early-stage/determining-status). If you are an ESI who would like to apply but do not have a senior faculty mentor with whom you can collaborate, please contact Dr. Cho Lam to discuss partnering with a senior faculty member from HC2.
  • For applications that partner with community organizations, applicants should:
    • Demonstrate sufficient community engagement experience to accomplish aims;
    • Describe how engagement activities are feasible and appropriate;
    • Clearly identify community partners;
    • Include letters of support.

TERMS OF FUNDING

HC2 pilot projects must be completed within the period specified in the proposed application. It is anticipated that funding will begin May 1, 2025. IRB protocol approvals must be in place before funds for human subjects or vertebrate animal research are released. Awardees must submit a mid-year progress report and a final report at the end of the project to the Developmental Core co-leads. A mid-year meeting with the Pilot Project Program Review Committee may be required to discuss the progress of the project and address any concerns. The HC2 Developmental Core retains the right to cancel an award unilaterally for noncompliance or nonperformance.

KEY DATES

Letter of Intent Due: September 25, 2024

Anticipated Decision: October 4, 2024

For LOI applicants selected to submit full proposals:

Full Proposal Due: December 2, 2024

For applicants who submit full proposals:

Anticipated HC2 Acceptance Announcement: December 23, 2024

Anticipated External Review Acceptance: February 18, 2025

Earliest Start Date: May 1, 2025

ALLOWABLE COSTS

The awards are to be used for research and team activities. HC2 staff will work with you on your budget items during the application process. Faculty salary support may be allowed, subject to approval by the NCI Persistent Poverty Initiative Steering Committee during the final review process. Buyout of teaching responsibilities is permitted. Funding is available for salaries and fringe benefits of postdoctoral fellows, students, technicians, and other project personnel. Lab supplies and other related non-personnel research expenses are appropriate, with the exception of office furniture and equipment, including computers. Funds are not to be utilized for student tuition.

FORMAT AND APPLICATION COMPONENTS

Please submit a 1-page Letter of Intent (LOI) that includes:

  1. Project title, a brief description, and Specific Aims;
  2. How the proposed project aligns with HC2;
  3. How the proposed approach addresses populations living in areas of persistent poverty;
  4. How the proposed approach addresses structural barriers in areas of persistent poverty;
  5. Project duration;
  6. Estimated total amount of funding to be requested (direct costs).

LOI SUBMISSION

  1. Letters of Intent must be submitted in PDF format via email to Dr. Cho Lam at cho.lam@hci.utah.edu no later than 5 pm MDT, September 25, 2024. Late submissions will not be accepted.
  2. LOIs must include all of the components listed in the “Application Components” section.
    • The required font for the LOI is 11 point.
    • Margins must be at least 0.5 inches on all four sides of the page.
  3. Incomplete LOIs or those that exceed the 1-page limit will not be accepted.

LOI REVIEW PROCESS

The HC2 Developmental Core Co-Leads will review letters of Intent for alignment with HC2. Selected projects will be invited to submit a full application and will be referred to the HC2 Career Enhancement Core, the Research and Methods Core, and the Community Engagement Team for consultation before full application submission.

FULL PROPOSALS

Full applications will use the NIH Administrative Supplement format. Those selected to submit a full application will receive specific instructions on the format.

SELECTION OF AWARDEES

The HC2 Developmental Core Review Committee will review full proposals and select the most meritorious for funding. Two to three reviewers will score each application. The NIH 9-point rating scale will be used to evaluate applications. In addition to the standard NIH review criteria of Significance, Innovation, and Approach, review criteria will include candidates’ track record or promise for success in research and alignment with HC2. All projects will receive a written review summary, including reviewers’ critiques. Scores will be presented at a meeting of the Developmental Core Review Committee, with final selections presented to the NCI Persistent Poverty Initiative Steering Committee for external review and funding recommendations. Our approval timeline will ensure that Pilot Project budgets can be included in HC2’s budget for the following year.

For inquiries, please contact:

Cho Lam, Ph.D.
Research Associate Professor, Huntsman Cancer Institute
E-mail: cho.lam@hci.utah.edu

CAIRHE logo

RFP No.: CAIRHE-04-2025
Issue Date:Early November 2024. Check back for more information.
Deadline:April 2025

Overview

The deadline for CAIRHE's 2024 Request for Proposals was April 1, 2024. Projects have been selected for funding during the 2024-25 project year (through August 31, 2025).

CAIRHE's 2025 RFP (to be issued in early November 2024) will award funding to selected pilot projects for one grant year (September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2026) with the possibility of competitive renewal in the subsequent year, for up to a maximum of 2 years. 

CAIRHE requests annual proposals for Pilot Projects that address CAIRHE’s mission of reducing health disparities in Indigenous and rural communities in Montana. Faculty applicants may develop projects within a single discipline (e.g., social sciences), but CAIRHE also encourages collaborative projects between biomedical and social and behavioral health investigators. As in all CAIRHE-funded research, projects should have a high likelihood of leading to independent funding from external (non-MSU) sponsors, such as the National Institutes of Health or the National Science Foundation. 

The Center may hold informational meetings in Fall 2024 to answer questions and provide information about CAIRHE and its mission. At any time, please also contact James Burroughs for more information at jburroughs@montana.edu or 406-994-4407.

About CAIRHE

Based at Montana State University, CAIRHE is an official state of Montana research center designated by the Montana University System Board of Regents. CAIRHE is supported by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA)—specifically, a Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grant—from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (grant number P20GM104417). For more information, see http://www.montana.edu/cairhe/about/. 

Eligibility

Principal investigator applicants must hold a faculty appointment at Montana State University.

One of the main objectives of the COBRE grant program is to enhance the ability of new investigators to compete independently for an NIH individual research grant or other major external peer-reviewed support. For this reason, projects funded by CAIRHE’s NIH grant must involve new investigators, defined as either (1) an individual who does not have and has not previously had an external, peer-reviewed major research project grant or program project grant from either a federal or non-federal source that names that investigator as the PI; or (2) an established investigator who is making a significant change to her/his research career. Most faculty in category 1 are new and early stage investigators. For NIH definitions, see http://grants.nih.gov/policy/new_investigators/index.htm#definition.

All applications should have a strong potential to lead to external (non-MSU) funding.

Faculty in the biomedical and social/behavioral sciences are encouraged to apply. (Please note that salary support for collaborative projects may be limited by overall budget limits.) 

Due to restrictions imposed by the NIH, faculty who are currently funded as an investigator by another IDeA program are not eligible for CAIRHE funding. This includes project leaders for Montana INBRE. Please contact CAIRHE if you have questions about this rule.

Application Types

For 2025-26, CAIRHE will accept applications for Pilot Research Projects.

Pilot Research Projects

Funded at approximately $40,000 to $50,000 in direct costs per year, pilot research projects are designed for faculty who do not currently have a CAIRHE grant and do not currently have significant preliminary data or fully established community partnerships. (However, having preliminary data and/or community partnerships in place at the time of the application would be considered an advantage.) We require that applicants consult with CAIRHE Director Alex Adams or Program Coordinator James Burroughs about community engagement plans before making new contacts. They will then arrange a consultation with the Montana IDeA Community Engagement Core at MSU. This rule is designed to ensure your success and safeguard preexisting MSU relationships in those communities.

New pilot research projects may be competitively renewed for a second and final year.

Proposal Requirements

Complete instructions for Pilot Research Project applications will be posted in early November 2024.